Improvement in burglar-proof safes



UNITED STATES DANIEL FITZGERALD,

OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPRVEMENT IN BURGLAR-PROOF SAFES.

Specication forming part of Letters Patent No. 122,883, dated January 23, 1872.

To whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DANIEL FITZGERALD, of the city of New York, have invented certain Improvements in Burglar-Proof Safes; and the following is a specification thereof.

The object of my said invention is to prevent access to the contents of the safe by drilling, Wedging, or the use of explosives. To this end I form a small cavity in the front of the safe and arrange the openings of access to the interior within and around the sides, top, or bottom of said cavity; and I provide for closing the cavity by a door of sufficient thickness or depth to fill .said cavity completely and abut against the solid Wall at the end or back of the door, substantially as hereinafter described.

Referring to the drawing hereto annexed, Fig. l is a vertical longitudinal section with the chief door removed. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section, showing all the doors in place.

A represents the body of the safe; B C C are the inner chambers for receiving the contents. The body is to be made of any suitable hard metal, and sufliciently massive to resist eiectually the blow of a sledge. E represents the chief door, and it consists of a massive plug of like hard metal. This door does not. however, lead directly into the inner chambers, nor are the openings thereto in any Way exposed on the exterior, but are arranged in the sides, top, or bottom of a cavity, D. In dimensions or area the cavity should not be more than just large enough to allow a person to reach their arm into the inner openings through such cavity. For perfect security said small or inner openings should also be closed by suitable doors F, the plug form being the best; but if omitted they would still be closed by the chief door E, which is tted to this cavity so closely as to convert the Whole center of the safe, as it Were, into a solid mass of metal. The chief door is shown as of rectangular shape and the inner doors circular but this order may be reversed; or all may be either square or round, and, if desired, mounted on suitable hinges. When circular, I grind them into their places so as to be air-tight, and thereby render it impossible to enter wedges in the seams or force in liquid or other explosives; and if by any means they should be entered, no explosion thereof could blow open the doors, as the force would expend itself against the side or sides of the door E. The drilling of the large door would, of course, be futile, and any attempt to explode it would be out of the question, as it would require a charge sufficient to throw down a building. Nor could a charge be entered behind the door E, as the end thereof abuts solidly against the rear Wall of the safe, which also supports the door against blows applied to its outer surface with sledges; and again, if, by any possibility, the chief door should be removed, the smallness of the cavity D renders it exceedingly inconvenient to operate on the inner doors with any reasonable chance of success.

I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patenti 1. Arranging the openings for access to the inner chambers of the safe in the sides of arecess, D, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

2. The massive door or plug E, in combination With the recess D having the inner openings in the sides thereof, which are closed to the exterior ofthe safe by the chief door, substantially as specified, either with or without the doors Ii.

3. Having the door E to abut solidly against the rear wall of the safe, whereby any blows administered on the face of the door are received by the body of the safe, as specified.

DANIEL FITZGERALD.

Witnesses:

EAELE H. SMITH, D. M. SxLvEsTEE. 

